Stray
by twin192
Summary: "What?", she asked. "Don't tell me I was right?" Jane only looked at her with wide eyes. "Jane, seriously! I really hope you didn't bring a dog with you from the park!" - Yeah, Jane, Lisbon and a dog. Fun right?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hey guys, this is a story I started a while ago but didn't finish then. Now I came back to it and decided to continue. I had fun writing this and hope you have just as much fun reading it. Enjoy!_

**Stray**

It was just after six pm on a Friday evening when Jane came into Lisbon's office with a big smile on his face. Lisbon looked up from her work to shoot him an annoyed look but it didn't seem to bother him. He just grinned, sat down on her couch and watched her silently.

Lisbon was curious. She really wanted to know what made him so happy, but she didn't ask. Instead she looked back down to her work and resumed what she was doing before Jane had barged into her office. She smiled to herself and wondered how long it would take for him to break the silence. It was obvious that he wanted her to ask what was going on. She considered just asking but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of winning another one of their 'who's going to crack first'-battles. She wanted to win just once. Only to see his reaction. She knew he was a lot more patient than her but she had to try, right? Besides as long as he was silent and just staring at her she could just try to continue working.

Yeah, well that doesn't seem to be working so well, Lisbon mused after feeling his gaze wander over her body for nearly thirty minutes. She didn't get anything done since he came into her office, just shoved her papers from one side of the desk to the other. Damn, he is distracting, she thought.

She led out a huge sigh and sat back in her chair. Next time, she thought, next time I will win!

"What's up?" she asked casually, not letting her annoyance show.

His smile became wider than before, if that is even possible.

"You know what I'm thinking about?" he asked, looking her straight in the eyes.

Lisbon squirmed uncomfortably. "No" she answered carefully, looking at him suspiciously.

"Well, do you want to know?"

Did she? Who was she kidding, of course she wanted to know what was going on in that sometimes brilliant mind of his. But his wide grin and the mischievous glint in his eyes told her that she would regret answering that question. A positive or negative reply won't matter because he would tell her anyway, now that he won another one of their silent staring contests.

So she tried to play it cool and asked in the most nonchalant way she could muster. "Seems like I have no choice if I want to get everything done today. So, what's on your mind?"

"Oh Lisbon, I know you are extremely curious right now. If I weren't me I would have bought your act, but come on, I hope you know by now that you can't deceive me and that I can read you like a book."

Lisbon huffed annoyed and dropped her act.

"Cut the crap Jane, what do you want?" she growled and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Now that's what I wanted to hear!" Jane said happily. "I do like the grumpy Lisbon, you know. But back to the topic. You know today is Friday..."

"Really? Gee, thanks for reminding me, I would have come back tomorrow morning otherwise." Lisbon interrupted him sarcastically.

"No need to get sarcastic my dear Lisbon. So as you and I both know it's Friday today, so I wondered..." Jane paused his sentence and watched her again.

"Jane! Stop that! Tell me or leave me alone!"

"Oh come on Lisbon, where's the fun in that? Well, since you want to know so badly I should probably tell you. We wouldn't want your blood pressure to get too high now, do we?" he joked.

Lisbon glared at him and lifted her stapler.

"Okay, I got it. No need to get violent. But please, just guess one time, okay? Me simply telling you would be boring and I really couldn't live with myself if I didn't even try. So please just guess this once." he looked at her pleadingly.

Lisbon glanced at her watch and saw that it was already seven pm. Not wanting to spent any more time of her weekend at work she decided to just give him what he wanted.

"So, let me think for a moment... when you weren't on your couch today and didn't come back for nearly three hours, which we have to talk about by the way, you were walking in the park, decided to lay down for a minute in the sun, closed your eyes and drifted off. As soon as you woke up, there was a puppy standing over you and licking your face. It was so cute, you decided to keep him and now he's in the back of your car."

Lisbon laughed a little and rearranged her papers on the desk. After getting nothing but silence for a few minutes, she looked up to see Jane staring at her with a funny expression on his face.

"What?", she asked. "Don't tell me I was right?"

Jane only looked at her with wide eyes.

"Jane, seriously! I really hope you didn't bring a dog with you from the park!" Not getting an answer out of him she continued her rant.

"The dog could belong to someone Jane, did you think about that? You just taking him with you is like stealing! You stole a dog from the park, Jane! That's a crime, I could arrest you! And what are you planning on doing with the dog? You live in a motel room and I'm pretty sure dogs aren't allowed in there." Lisbon stopped for a moment and saw a pleading look on his face. She suddenly understood why he was here. She didn't like it.

"Oh no Jane! There is no way I'm taking your dog home with me! Bring him back where he came from. I am going home now. Alone." With that Lisbon put a few files in her briefcase, collected her jacket and was on her way out of her office.

As she shut down the lights Jane suddenly sprang into action. He jumped from the couch and was at the door with two long strides of his legs. He put a hand on Lisbon's shoulder and turned her around.

"Please, Lisbon! I can't bring him back to the park. It's already getting dark! And dogs aren't allowed to wander the streets alone. You know that. What if the dog-catchers get him? He is so small and cute he can't fight against other dogs for food in an animal shelter. He would starve with all the big bullies in there, who only care about getting enough food for themselves! Just take one look at him, you will love him! He is so cute, and it's only for one night. I will be searching for his family tomorrow as soon as the sun gets up. Please Lisbon!"

He looked so genuine and desperate she just couldn't say no to him. She locked her office door and went to the elevators while Jane followed her eagerly. As soon as they were on their way to the parking lot she relented.

"Ok, Jane. Show me that dog, if he is too big you have to take him elsewhere. My apartment is bigger than yours, but by no means big enough for a 60 pound dog."

Jane smiled at her widely. "Don't worry, he is just a puppy. He is small."

By now they were standing in front of Jane's car and he opened the passenger side door. Inside was a small labrador puppy looking at Jane and Lisbon with wide eyes. As soon as he recognized Jane he jumped out of the car and right into Jane's arms. Jane caught him and the puppy began licking his face enthusiastically. Lisbon just watched with wide eyes and couldn't help but melt at the sight of this cute puppy and the wide smile on Jane's face. She couldn't help but notice that the puppy's fur was the same color as Jane's hair.

Before she knew that he had moved Jane had thrown the puppy into her arms and it began licking her face just as enthusiastic as it had Jane's.

"Isn't he cute, Lisbon? Please take him home. You can't say no to that face" Jane tried to convince her. He hadn't realized that that wasn't necessary anymore. As soon as she had taken one look at the puppy she was pudding. She had always been a dog person and really liked them but her job had prevented her from having one on her own.

"But only for one day Jane" Lisbon relented. "And you have to care for him. Be careful that he doesn't go near my couch. Or shoes for that matter. Everything he destroys, you have to pay for. You found him, he's your responsibility. And now let's go. We still have to buy him some food." That being said, Lisbon put the puppy back into Jane's arms and began walking to her car. After realizing that Jane wasn't following her she turned around and caught him staring at her with wide eyes.

"You coming?" she asked.

He hastily closed his mouth and went after her. "Are you sure Lisbon? You are allowing us to stay with you? And I'm emphasizing the word 'us' because that word means, my dog and me, as in both of us, staying with you for the night. Are you okay with that?"

"Are you trying to talk me out of it?" Lisbon asked teasingly. She really liked that she had managed to put that look on his face. And twice in one day! She hoped the day she would finally beat him in one of their staring contests would come soon. But the surprised looks on his face was enough to last her a while.

"No, shutting up now." Jane said and climbed into the passenger seat of Lisbon's car, the puppy safe in his arms. Lisbon smiled at him, climbed into the car herself and started the car.

They were driving for approximately five minutes when a quiet 'thank you' was heard from the passenger seat.

"No problem Jane. After all it's just for one night, right?"

Jane smiled at her and chuckled. "Sure."

Lisbon wasn't sure she liked that tone. "Jane?" she asked alarmed.

"We'll only stay as long as you want us to, Lisbon." He shot her a quick smile and decided to play with the dog in his lap who had tried to get his attention for the last five minutes.

Oh boy, she thought, I'm not really sure I like the sound of that, Lisbon thought and kept on driving to the nearest super market to buy some food for the puppy.

_A/N: So that's it for now. I'm not sure if I should continue or just let it stay the way it is. Let me know what you thought of it and if I should continue :) Jane, Lisbon and an adorable puppy for the whole weekend? Alone? Because who are we kidding there is no way that Jane will keep his promise of leaving the next day xD_

_So I hoped you liked it, if so then please leave a review :) Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

About ten minutes later, Lisbon stopped the car at the nearest super market in the parking lot and turned around to look at Jane.

"Jane, we can't take him with us to the store. And I'm not letting him alone in my car. You'll have to wait with him."

Jane opened his mouth to protest. "But why must I be the one to wait? Why can't you wait with him? That reminds me, we don't really know if *he* is a he or a she." He moved his hands from the dog, to make some movements with two of his fingers of each hand while saying *he*. "Why don't we give *him* a name, then it'll be easier for us in the future?"

"What future Jane? You promised to bring *him*", Lisbon mimicked his earlier hand movements and rolled her eyes, "back tomorrow. We won't need a name. The dog probably already has a name."

"Oh, how diplomatic of you, Lisbon. Just calling *him*", he repeated the hand movements, "'the dog' is your solution? Don't you think that will hurt *his* feelings?" He looked down at the dog who stared at him with wide, curious eyes and took the attention as an invitation to start licking Jane's face again.

"Cut the crap Jane. And stop using those stupid hand movements. I don't care if 'the dog'", she emphasized that part by looking pointedly at Jane, "is a he or she. There won't be much time for us to call him anything, so there's no point in giving him a name. As for hurting his feelings, I'm sure he doesn't care. He will be gone tomorrow."

Jane stared at her with wide eyes and hurried to put both of his hands on top of the dog's ears.

"Shh, Lisbon! He might hear you!"

"Stop it, Jane! And what happened with your argument? Suddenly the dog is a he? How did you come up with that, if you don't mind me asking?"

"You're no fun. Okay have it your way, we'll call him the dog for now. I can't promise anything for tomorrow though. I might change my mind and just start calling him something. Don't blame me when he suddenly only listens to the name Twister or whatever I might think of. Your chance at choosing a name has past, my dear Lisbon. Live with the consequences." Jane said and looked at the dog, still patiently sitting in his lap. "Right, Helmut? Mushu? Meister? Duke?" Jane continued to say more and more weird names, hoping the dog would react to one. After hearing about thirty ridiculous names, Lisbon's patience ran out and she slapped her hands on the steering wheel.

"Okay Jane, enough with the weird dog names. We've been sitting in the parking lot for nearly 20 minutes now, and I really want to go home some time soon. So what do we need for the dog for tonight? Besides food?"

"Really Lisbon? You are still calling him 'the dog'?" Jane inquired.

"Yes, Jane. Now did you think of anything else, we'll need? If not, I'm going now to buy the food."

Lisbon put her hand on the door and was about to open it when Jane stopped her.

"Wait! Where will he sleep? What if he gets bored? We'll need something for him to play with. And what about a leash? I'm sure we'll have to go out with him at least once and dogs aren't allowed to run free. And we didn't even finish the argument from the beginning. Why do I have to stay here? I want to go with you and choose the best items for our little friend here. I'm sure you'll just grab the first dog food you see and buy it. What if you choose chicken flavor and Herbert doesn't like it? Then he'll starve until tomorrow!"

"We are not calling the dog Herbert, Jane. And don't be ridiculous, the dog will like what I'll buy. I'll see if I can find a leash and a tennis ball or something but that's it, Jane. Nothing more. And you'll stay in the car. Try to stay out of trouble and don't name the dog something stupid while I'm gone."

That being said Lisbon finally opened the door and shut it behind her loudly. Jane was really getting on her nerves. She already regretted her decision of letting both of them stay with her. What in the world possessed her to invite Jane to her apartment? For a sleep-over?

She made her way into the store, took a basket and started browsing the aisles for dog food.

She quickly found a whole shelf dedicated to pet food and just put the first package with a dog on it in her basket. Damn, she thought, Jane was right. Uhhh, I hate it when he's right. He just gloats and smiles so much I can't stand it. I hope he won't sneak through my drawers or something. Ahh, I don't even remember if I cleaned up my living room before coming to work today. This is so much trouble. Jane is going to owe me big time when this is over.

While continuing to think of all possible scenarios of what could happen with Jane in her house for the night, many of them very bad but some of them so good they even put a blush on her face, she found a tennis ball and a leash and added them to her basket. Lisbon shook her head to clear her thoughts. She now stood in front of a shelf with collars on it. Lisbon did see a collar on the puppies neck but couldn't remember if a dog tag was on it. Well, she thought, I will search for it as soon as we're home. Wait, what? My home, I mean. As soon as we're in my apartment.

She shook her head again and hurried to the cashier. Before paying for her purchase she put some ice-cream in her basket as well. Might as well have some fun tonight, she thought. She paid and put the things in a small plastic bag and made her way back to the car. She put the bag in the back seat and dropped into the driver's seat.

"You look distracted, my dear? Everything okay? Did you get everything?" Jane asked curiously after Lisbon just stared out of the window for two minutes.

Lisbon turned and looked at him oddly. "Everything's fine. I got the food, the ball and the leash. I hope we didn't forget something. Well, It'll only be for a day, so it doesn't matter. Let's go, I'm hungry." She said and turned the ignition. She drove out of the parking lot and turned right, the only thing on her mind was getting home soon.

"Prometheus?" Jane asked after about four minutes of silence.

"Not a chance." Lisbon replied curtly and sighed relieved as she saw the parking lot of her apartment.

It's only for one night, she reminded herself. Nothing much can happen, right?

_A/N: Soooo, did you like it? Short I know, but I wanted to end this here and start the next chapter in her apartment :) I was trying to write a one-shot with this, but apparently I don't have it in me to write a short story and fit everything I want to happen in there. So, after I decided to write another chapter, I convinced myself to keep it short. Maybe three or four chapters, but not more. Well, seeing as they didn't even make it 'home' yet, there will be no chance that this one will end with just four chapters. And since I'm the kind of writer who has an idea, like 'what if Jane brought a dog with him from the park' and just starts to write anything that comes to mind, no idea how it'll end or how I'm going to get the dog to Lisbon, there is no way of telling how long this story will turn out. I'm just writing what seems funny. Well, I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Review :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: So here is chapter three. I hope you will enjoy it. If you liked it, please leave a review :)_

**Chapter 3**

She got the groceries and Jane took the dog as they made their way to her front door. Adjusting the bags on her arms she finally found her key and unlocked her front door. The agent went inside, put on the lights and let the bags fall to the ground. She was about to remove her shoes when she noticed that her blonde consultant didn't come in after her. Curious, she turned around and looked at him questioningly.

"What are you waiting for? Come in" she said and stepped aside, so he could maneuver the dog and himself through the front door.

He was still standing outside and looked at her.

"Are you sure? I really don't want to inconvenience you. I didn't really think that you would actually say yes and was already planning a way to sneak him into my room. I know where all of the security cameras in my apartment complex are, so it really wouldn't have been that difficult to sneak him through. That reminds me, I really should tell the owner that. If anybody is going to commit a crime in there, it would be really easy to go undetected. Maybe I should call them now, who knows who's sneaking through the bushes right now..."

Lisbon stood in her doorway and had a hard time hiding her amused chuckle.

"Jane you are rambling. I already told you I was fine with it, just come in already. I'm getting cold. Also we bought the dog stuff already so we can at least put it to good use for one day."

She finally discarded her jacket, shoes and keys on the small desk that stood in the hall, picked the grocery bags up and went into the kitchen. "Close the door behind you" she called over her shoulder.

"Well," Jane said to the dog, "the lady talked, my friend. And if she talks we have to listen. Otherwise she might kick us out buddy. So be good and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

That being said Jane leaned down and put the puppy on the floor. It was looking from the front door to Jane and to the direction Lisbon disappeared in earlier.

After about two minutes the dog began exploring the hall, especially Lisbon's open shoe shelf, the consultant noticed with an amused smile and decided to go and see what Lisbon was up to.

Jane shred himself of his shoes, but left his suit jacket on. It wasn't cold or anything but he was always more comfortable wearing his jacket.

He found Lisbon in the kitchen standing on a chair, rummaging through her cupboards and taking pots out of them.

"What are you doing?" Jane asked her curiously.

"That's a dumb question Jane." Lisbon said, her head still in the kitchen cupboards. "Especially coming from you. What does it look like I'm doing?"

Jane sighed. "I know what it looks like. I apologize, I phrased that question wrong. Why are you looking like you lost your favorite toy in the deepest edge of the cupboard. It looks like it's trying to swallow you whole."

"I'm looking for something to eat. I know there must be something behind these plates... Oh, found it!" she exclaimed and moved backwards, not remembering that the chair she chose to stand on wasn't very sturdy and the shaking made her loose her balance. Jane watched with wide eyes as she fell from the chair, waving desperately with her arms, trying to grab onto something that would stop her fall. She didn't find anything that would hold her, so she closed her eyes tightly and braced herself for the pain she would certainly feel upon impact with the kitchen floor.

Two seconds, which felt like two hours, went by and she finally hit the ground. She was already opening her mouth for the cry of pain that would surely erupt, when she noticed that the fall didn't hurt.

She hadn't landed on her floor.

Instead she had landed on something soft. Well, not exactly soft, she mused still holding her eyes shut tightly.

"Lisbon are you okay?" she heard Jane asking from under her. He sounded worried and she wondered why his voice seemed to be so near to her. And why am I smelling his cologne all of a sudden?

She opened her eyes in shock when she felt a hand on her face.

Jane was laying under her, his deep blue orbs staring at her in concern. He began to speak again.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

Lisbon finally snapped out of it and tried to move off Jane. "Yeah, I'm fine" she mumbled, trying to dis tangle her legs from his.

"Thanks for catching me. You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" the agent stopped struggling for a moment to look Jane over.

He just smiled at her happily and ran his hands down her arms, which were holding her up on both sides of his chest. "No, I'm fine. Just glad that you are fine."

He looked so happy and content that Lisbon couldn't help but admire the sight of him under her. She had always wanted to know if his hair was really as soft as it looked. Her hand was already halfway on its way of finding out when she realized what she was doing and stopped in mid air.

Jane looked at her amused and before she could decipher the strange look in his eyes, he had tucked on her outstretched arm and she fell down on him again.

"Jane!" she shouted and tried to stand up once more. "What are you doing?"

Jane wasn't letting her go. He put both arms around her shoulders and hugged her to him. Why not, he thought to himself.

"Come on Lisbon, I like this position. And what are the chances that I get to hug you again in the foreseeable future? Just thank me for catching you with staying like this for a minute or two. Enjoy it, I know you like it too."

Lisbon's face was pressed into his chest which made it hard for her to talk. She opened her mouth to begin arguing when she suddenly found that no words were coming out of her mouth. She sighed deeply and got another whiff of his cologne. Why not, she thought and lay still. She really wanted to hug him back but didn't want to encourage him too much. That being thought she resigned (who was she kidding, really) herself to a warm hug from Jane. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander when she suddenly heard quiet scratching noises from the hall.

She tensed up and opened her eyes. Moving her head so she could look at Jane she asked "Where exactly did you leave your dog, Jane?"

He looked confused for a moment but seemed to remember what she was talking about a short while later.

"In the hall I think. He was inspecting the rag when I came into the kitchen to look for you. I think he was making his way over to your shoe shelf when I last saw him..." Jane trailed of and gulped as he saw the piercing look Lisbon was giving him. She managed to make it look convincing despite their current position, which normally might render such an expression useless. She made it work.

"What did I tell you about my shoes?" she asked angrily and climbed off him.

The agent stalked into the hall, picked up the dog who was gnawing on one of Jane's shoes and walked back into the kitchen to find Jane sitting at the table. She thrust the dog into Jane's arms and stood before him with both of her hands on her hips.

"You are lucky that it was your shoe Jane. I told you not to let him mess with my shoes. Don't let him out of your sight again. Now go into the living room and entertain him. I'm going to cook us something."

Jane looked at her surprised. "You are going to cook? Do you even know how to do that?"

If possible, her eyes darkened another shade.

"Living room. Now!" She pointed in the right direction and glared at him as he made his way to the living room, chuckling loudly.

"Yes, your highness. I'm just going to sit on this couch and await your next order." He made a show of bowing to her as he walked out of the kitchen and towards the couch.

She groaned loudly and put her hands on her face. That man is going to drive me crazy. And I thought the dog would be trouble...


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hey guys, thanks for reading and reviewing :) Let's see if you like my next chapter as well... xD Please leave a review if you do... Enjoy!_

**Chapter 4**

After Lisbon found some pasta in her cupboards, she put it into the boiling water and went into the living room to look for her consultant. She found Jane and the dog sitting at the floor. Jane was playing with the tennis ball she bought earlier and the little puppy was watching him curiously.

"Jane? Can you look after dinner for a moment? I want to change my clothes."

Jane looked up at her with a wide grin on his face. "Look Lisbon, isn't he cute? He really likes the tennis ball. But he doesn't want to play with it himself just yet. He just watches as I move it around, bounce it against the wall and stuff. I hope I can play catch with him some time... " Jane trailed off and had a thoughtful but happy look on his face.

Lisbon couldn't help but chuckle at the sight before her. He just seemed so happy and carefree. If she had known that all it would take to cure Jane's depression was a little dog she would have bought him one sooner.

"Yeah, he's cute. Can I go and change now or do I have to wait until after dinner?"

"No no, I'll look after the food. Go on, make yourself comfortable."

Lisbon nodded and made her way up the stairs.

Jane looked at the puppy and picked him up. "Let's go buddy. I wonder what else Lisbon has planned for dinner. Let's take a look."

They made their way into the kitchen and were greeted by the smell of boiling water and pasta.

The blonde consultant set the dog down on the ground and put the tennis ball beside him. The dog began looking at it, but not doing anything. He looked as if he was contemplating something.

Jane stirred the pasta in the pot and let his mind wander.

He really didn't expect her to take him home with her. Well, him and the dog. There was a difference. She was doing it for the dog. He was in need of a home for the night and Jane was just an extra. He was just there to keep the puppy from causing trouble. It's not as if he wanted her to invite him just for company, right? They did that anyway, he told himself. Eating take out together and watch some TV. They did that sometimes. But today was different. He didn't want her any differently, right? Just a friend?

Yeah, right, that's why you had her on top of you not even 15 minutes ago. And enjoyed it immensely I might add, a small voice in the back of Jane's head said.

Well, I can't deny that...

He was lost in his thoughts for a few minutes, absentmindedly spinning his wedding ring on his finger. Before he could loose himself completely in memories and possibilities a small bark from the puppy brought him back to reality.

Slightly startled, he noticed that the pasta was about to boil over, so he hastily reduced the heat. Possible mess avoided, he looked at the small dog and smiled.

"Thanks, buddy. Good to know that at least one of us is paying attention. You know what? I'm tired of calling you dog, puppy and buddy. You need a name if Lisbon likes it or not. How do you like Marley?"

The dog looked at him unimpressed and continued observing the tennis ball. It still lay at the same position Jane had put it earlier.

"Not Marley then," Jane mused. "How about Eddy?"

No reaction.

"You are a difficult one, aren't you? Let's see... Sam? Do you like Sam?"

The dog turned his head to look at Jane and barked. He really wanted Jane to continue playing with the ball.

"Sam it is! I like it! Glad you seem to like it too. So now that we named you, maybe you could help me with another problem. You are a good listener." Jane joked and chuckled. "Anyway, you know Lisbon. I like her. Very much so. She is my best friend and the only one on this world that I completely trust. The problem is that I don't want to loose our friendship if things don't work out the way I want them to. She thinks I'm still not over my wife, but I made my peace with that a while ago. Don't get me wrong, I still love Angela and always will. I will honor her memory and never forget her and Charlotte, but I have moved past the stage where just the thought of her and Charlotte was holding me back. I realized some time ago that she wouldn't want me to waste my life like that. And I'm finally in a place where I want that as well.

The time in jail after I shot the fake Red John made me realize that. I have to stop my obsession with that man or I won't come out on the other end. I will never stop looking for him, but I won't let my whole life revolve around something that one man did eight years ago. He is not that important.

Other people are. The guys on the team who have become my friends and family over the years and of course, Lisbon. Those are the people I should fill my life with. I really want to do that but I'm afraid. What if things change? What if they don't want me anymore after I try to change myself? Or if things just don't turn out the way I want them to. Need them to. Because one thing is clear: If things don't work between Lisbon and me, it wouldn't only be her that I would loose. I would loose my friends, my family and my job. I've come to like working for the police and wouldn't know what to do if I couldn't help catching criminals anymore."

While Jane shared his worries and fears with Sam, the pasta has finished cooking and the consultant had absentmindedly turned off the heat and put the pasta into a bowl. He found some tomato sauce and fresh tomatoes in her fridge and quickly put a sauce together. He took some salad and cucumber out as well and mixed a small salad. While doing that, he continued talking to Sam.

"So you see I have a lot to loose. What do you think I should do?"

Sam made a small yelp after pushing the tennis ball with his nose. He finally got the courage to move it himself and seemed to have a lot of fun with it, seeing as he quickly rolled the ball around the legs of the kitchen table.

"I think you are right." Jane continued. "There is no point in wasting any more time. What happens, happens. No point in thinking about all the possible 'what if' scenarios. It'll just give me a headache. Who knows how many more chances I will get. We've both been in a number of dangerous situations and who knows when our time is up. I vividly remember all the times Lisbon was in danger. I don't want to go through that again without knowing how it could be between us. Without telling her how I feel. I can handle rejection but I can't handle her not being there anymore. But don't worry Sam, I'm sure she likes me just as much as I like her."

Jane looked pleased and determined at the same time. He picked the playing dog up and looked him right into the wide innocent eyes. "So Sam, do you want to help me getting Lisbon to fall for me? Preferably this weekend. Who knows when she will put her foot down and send you to a shelter or something. Don't worry I'll convince her to let you stay. Nobody can say no to your cute face, not even Lisbon, so you should be able to help me out with my goal. And hopefully we'll find a home for you along the way."

The consultant smirked at Sam as he heard Lisbon coming down the stairs.

"Let operation..." He looked around him curiously and saw the tennis ball at the floor under the table. "... tennis ball begin" he whispered and watched as Sam looked at him weirdly. "What? You don't like it? I guess it's not the most creative but it'll do. No time for talking now. Here she comes..."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, guys! Here's the next chapter, enjoy! (and review :D)_

**Chapter 5**

Lisbon came down the stairs in a simple pair of jeans and a comfortable sweater. She had put her hair up in a messy ponytail and removed most of her make-up. Walking into the kitchen she was surprised to see the table. Jane had hurriedly put some plates, some water and the pasta on the table so they could eat while the food was still hot.

Lisbon noticed the delicious looking salad and looked at Jane surprised.

"Where did you find that? I thought my fridge was totally empty."

"It was in there somewhere. I thought a salad would go well with the pasta. Do you mind?"

She shook her head. "No, no don't worry. I just wondered where it came from. I'm starving. Can we eat now?" Lisbon sat down at the table and grabbed the closest bowl, which was the pasta, and began filling her plate.

"Now now Lisbon, not so fast. Don't you think that everyone should have something to eat before we start?"

She looked at him confused, but a small bark from under the table reminded her that they weren't alone in her home at the moment.

"Why didn't you already feed the dog? I was gone for over 10 minutes, what have you been doing that you couldn't find the time to feed him?"

"I cooked us dinner. And I thought it would be nice for all of us to eat together. Do you have some bowls where we can put Sam's food and water?"

"Sam? You gave him a name? Didn't I tell you that it wasn't necessary? We'll find his family tomorrow, so don't confuse the dog by giving him a new name."

Jane looked a little hurt and pouted. "But Lisbon, I can't just continue calling him 'the dog'. That's not nice and I refuse calling him that. He is so cute he deserves a name, don't you think?"

"Whatever Jane. Do what you want. There are some bowls somewhere beside the sink. Go get his food and I'll get the bowls and water. Hurry up, I'm hungry."

Lisbon stood up and went to collect the bowls and water while Jane got the dog food. He poured it into the empty bowl Lisbon had put on the ground next to the one with water in it and they returned to their seats at her kitchen table.

"Can we eat now? Please?" The agent gave him an impatient look and waited for his answer.

"Go on, help yourself. Nobody is keeping you from it." She gave him a dirty look and started to eat hurriedly. She really was hungry. After the biggest hunger was sated Lisbon looked down to see the dog eating his food eagerly.

"Look Jane. The dog does like the food I bought him. You didn't need to worry. After I carefully selected this special brand of dog food I was sure he would like it."

Jane gave her a indulging look. "There is no point in lying to me, my dear. I can see through you in a heartbeat. I know that you just grabbed the first thing you saw. Don't worry most dogs aren't very picky with their food. I was sure he would like anything you chose otherwise I wouldn't have let you go in alone."

Lisbon stared at him angrily. "Then why did you insist on coming with me to the store?"

"Why wouldn't I? Waiting in the car is never fun. And while I certainly don't need and excuse to do what I want, I had to convince you somehow. Also, it's always fun to argue with you."

The blonde leaned back in his seat and was smiling at Lisbon who tried not to let her anger show.

What did you expect from him? That's nothing new. You know that he likes to rile you up. Don't let it get to you. Ignore it, Lisbon thought while putting a forced smile on her face.

"Whatever. The dog likes the food so there is no need to continue this conversation. The food was delicious Jane, thank you for making it."

"We did it together. I just watched the pot while you were changing. By the way I like that look on you. So relaxed. You are always in work mode so I don't get to see you relaxed that often. I think I have to invite myself to your home again."

Lisbon didn't know what to make of that. That sounded almost like a compliment of some sorts. Jane didn't do compliments. He insults and if he wants to be nice he says nothing at all. That's the best one could hope to get. She was confused. He was so different today. So happy and paying her compliments. And she didn't even want to start on the accident in the kitchen earlier. Because that's what it was. An accident. Never happening again, she tried to convince herself.

"Um Lisbon? You still there?" Jane watched her worriedly as she sat at the table, staring into space and biting her lips, looking like she was thinking about something very hard.

He was distracted from watching Lisbon, no Teresa, he thought. I decided to give this relationship a try so I should start practicing her name. Even if it's only in my head for now. Maybe I should try calling her that and see how she reacts.

The thing that distracted Jane earlier was actually the reason for their current situation.

Sam was standing in the door between the kitchen and the hall and was shuffling his little paws, making small yelping noises. He looked like the people who were stuck somewhere but desperately needed to go find a …

"Oh! Teresa, come on, wake up. Our little friend here needs to take a walk. Where did you put the bag with the leash?" Seeing as he still got no response from her, he grabbed her shoulders lightly and invaded her personal space until his face was directly in front of hers.

That seemed to snap her out of her daze. She jumped a little and after noticing how close they were she leaned back as far as her chair would allow.

"W-what are you doing Jane?"

Jane didn't move. He kept his hands where they were and continued to stare at her.

"Nothing." He finally answered but still didn't move.

"Well, was there something you wanted?"

"I asked you where you put the bag with the leash for Sam. He looks like he needs a walk."

Lisbon turned her head and saw Sam moving around in the hallway.

"Oh. Yeah, let me go get it and then we can go."

"You are coming with us?" Jane asked surprised.

"I thought a walk sounded nice after dinner, but if you don't want me to..."

"No! We would be delighted to have you come with us. I just assumed you wouldn't want to, because you said he was my responsibility and you are already doing so much by letting us stay with you and buying the things for him."

"Don't worry, I really want to come with you. The night looks nice. Now, can you please let me stand up? So it doesn't get any later and darker?"

Jane noticed suddenly that he was still gripping her shoulders and watching her closely. A slow grin made his way to his face.

"And what if I don't want to?"

Lisbon was slowly starting to feel uncomfortable. Jane was behaving so strangely and sending her all kinds of signals she didn't know how to interpret correctly. He has been invading her personal space all day and was touching her whenever he felt like it. Not that she was complaining but she was confused by his sudden change in behavior.

Just as she was about to decipher the look in his eyes, a small crash from the hall captured her attention.

"Well, as much as I'd like to continue this conversation I think we should get going." Jane stated with a hint of disappointment in his voice. He let go of Lisbon and walked into the hall. Her shoulders felt suddenly very cold and she missed his touch but she put herself together and went to get the leash.

As she made her way into the hall she heard Jane whispering.

Who was he talking to, she wondered but a quiet rustling gave her her answer. Jane was talking to the dog, how cute. She only thought that until she heard what he was whispering.

"...tell you to help me? We were having a moment there and you decided to crash her shoe shelf in exactly that minute? I thought we talked about operation tennis ball? I can't really be mad at you, because it's not your fault, but next time be a little bit more sensible, okay?"

Operation tennis ball? What was he talking about? And what next time? Did he really expect the dog to understand him? Well, I'll just ask him.

"Jane? What are you doing?" She saw his back becoming rigid as he slowly turned around while simultaneously standing up from the crouched position he was in while talking to Sam.

"Lisbon! I didn't hear you. You are really quiet when you want to be my dear. Did you find the leash? Can we go now? Our little friend here seems a little impatient."

"What were you talking about Jane? What is operation tennis ball? And what did you say about my shoes?" Lisbon was just about to turn around to take a look when he grabbed her again, put her jacket in her arms and held her shoes in front of him. She was going to protest and demand some answers but she didn't get the chance when he grabbed her keys and pushed her out her front door, closing it hastily behind him.

"What the..." Lisbon started but was interrupted by Jane's loud cry of "No!" and her shoes and keys falling down onto her door mat. She watched open-mouthed as Jane sprang down the steps leading to her front door and ran to the patch of grass in front of her apartment. Only now did she notice the small ball of fur running excitedly from one end of the grass to the other. Her consultant was running after him, trying to catch the dog with both hands stretched out in front of him.

She was trying to hold in her laughter but as she saw him falling flat down on his face after he seemed to stumble over his own two feet, she couldn't hold it in anymore.

She burst out laughing, clutched at her stomach and wiped a few tears from her eyes. She was about to find her breath again, when she saw Sam trotting towards her and sitting down in front of her with a curious expression on his face. The dumbfounded look on Jane's face brought another round of laughter for Lisbon.

Jane sat up after a minute or two and patted down his front in order to get the grass and mud off from it. "Glad I'm amusing you. Don't worry I'm fine. Nothing is hurt. Except for my pride of course." He walked over to her, took the leash out of her hand and put it on Sam's collar.

He looked down at himself in the light of Lisbon's porch light and sighed. "Do you see those stains? They will be a pain to get out. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get grass stains out of suits? Not looking forward to that, I can tell you. Are you finished laughing about me now or do you want to stand there a little bit longer and be happy about my misery?"

Lisbon knew he wasn't meaning any of it seriously but couldn't help a small chuckle from escaping. "No I'm fine. Lead the way."

He looked at her with a playful hurt face and started walking down the street. Lisbon hurriedly put her shoes and jacket on, put her keys in her pant pocket and followed him. As soon as she was walking next to him, she cracked up again. "Seriously Jane, did you see your face? Funniest thing I've ever seen."

"Yeah, funny" he grumbled but was secretly happy that he could make her laugh like that. Even if it was at his own expense. The happy smile on her face was worth it.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Sorry for the delay, I've got exams at the moment. I hope you enjoy the next chapter and please review :)_

**Chapter 6**

„So, do you want to go somewhere specific? Like the park? Or just down the block?"

"Jane, I am a homicide detective. It's after 10 pm and dark. Let's just stay on the street with the lights."

"Okay, just down the street it is."

They walked down the street in comfortable silence and Jane held the leash. Sam was exploring everything he deemed interesting and stopped more often than not. Jane and Lisbon didn't mind that and enjoyed the warm summer night. After about 10 minutes of watching Sam, Jane decided to break the silence.

"You know, I have been thinking..." Before he could continue, Lisbon interrupted him.

"Oh no. Seriously, every time you say something like that, something bad happens. And we didn't finish our conversation from before. What happened to my shoes and what is operation tennis ball?"

Jane looked at her with a hurt expression on his face. "Now that is unfair my dear. Not everything I say or think about ends in disaster. Just look at today. Did I do anything major to upset you?"

Lisbon only gave him her 'are-you-kidding-me' look and let her eyes wander to Sam and back to Jane.

"I said major. Besides you like him. I know you do so don't pretend you don't. I didn't do anything wrong today at work. And even if I did, I know you enjoy it most of the time when I tell a suspect what I think. You are trying really hard to suppress your smiles but I can see it in your eyes. Admit it, you enjoy that I bring a little fun into your job."

Lisbon was confused. How did they get from a conversation about her shoes to talking about her liking his crazy schemes sometimes?

Jane continued without waiting for a response from her. She was secretly glad about that, she didn't think she could have given him a believable answer to that question.

"Don't fret. I know the answer. Anyway, as I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, I was thinking about some things. I don't like my apartment anymore. It's so small and all I ever do there is sleep and maybe make some tea. As you are aware, I rather spent my nights up in the attic of the CBI than at my apartment. I think I want to move."

Lisbon had to admit, she was a little shocked. Jane wanted to move? Why? And why so suddenly? She decided to just ask.

"Do I need a specific reason? I just think it is time. And I kind of like our little friend here. I checked his collar earlier and his tag doesn't have a name on it. Just a phone number. So maybe he doesn't have a family. I was thinking that I could maybe keep him. Of course, I will call the phone number tomorrow morning and see what they tell me, but I really want to keep him."

Lisbon didn't really know what to say. She was happy that Jane seemed to want to move and wanted to take responsibility for a dog, but she didn't really understand why he had the sudden change of heart.

"I don't really understand. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great idea, but why now? Did anything change? Did I miss something?"

Lisbon had stopped walking and grabbed his arm sleeve to make him stop walking as well. He complied and turned to look at her while giving his answer.

"Maybe you didn't notice it, but I have been trying to change in the past weeks. I finally made a decision and am now trying to adjust my life to it. I don't really know when it happened exactly, but I decided that I want to stop wasting my life. My sole purpose was revenge and the death of Red John. And while I'm certainly not giving up on that, I noticed that it wasn't a priority anymore. I have much more to live for than that and I think I finally realize that now. I want to move on from my past and I think a good first step is to move to an apartment I actually like. And make it a bit more homey and comfortable than my current one. You could even held me shop for furniture and stuff. Maybe I'll even invite Van Pelt. She seems to like those things. Do you think I should ask her?"

Lisbon couldn't remember a day when she had been confused that often. Jane wanted to go furniture shopping with her? And he said something about Van Pelt. And what was that thing about him moving on? How did _that _happen?

Jane was looking at her and she distractedly noticed that Sam seemed to have found himself a new activity to pass time. He was now running around Jane and his leash wrapped itself around Jane's legs. After Jane was wrapped up pretty tightly, her blonde consultant took the other end of the leash and unwrapped himself. That didn't deter Sam, he was making rounds around Jane and tried to wrap him up again. She noticed that her attention had slipped somehow and Jane was still waiting for an answer.

"Um, furniture shopping? Sure, I'd love to help. I'm sure Van Pelt would love it if you ask her. And the other things, I don't really know what to say other than I'm happy you want to be happy again. I'm going to help you as good as I can. And now I think we have been gone long enough. You want to go home and watch a movie or something? I'm pretty tired. It was a long day and I'm sure tomorrow won't be easy as well. We still have to find Sam's family, if he has one."

She was a little taken aback by the huge smile that grazed Jane's lips and by his hand that made its way over her shoulder until it rested on the opposite one from where he was standing. Her turned her around and started walking back to her place.

"Sure Lisbon, let's go _home_ and watch a movie. You got a special one in mind?"

Wait, what? Home? Had she really asked him if he wanted to come _home_ with her?

"Ugh" she grumbled under her breath "I'm getting a headache. Let's just go back to _my apartment _and see what's on."

Jane was still beaming at her home slip-up and noticed happily that she didn't remove his hand from her shoulder. He could really get used to the touching. He liked it.

It took them about ten minutes to get back to her apartment. Lisbon took her keys out of her pocket and started to open the door as Jane remembered why she really shouldn't see her hallway right now. He hastily grabbed her arm before she could fully open the door.

"Um, Lisbon? Maybe I should go in there first. You know, check for burglars or something..." He was trying to get the keys out of her hand but she wasn't letting go. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"First, why would there be burglars in the house, everything looks normal. And second, why would you go in there first? I could handle something like that way better than you." Jane was still trying to get the keys and she narrowed her eyes even further until a flash of understanding lit up her face.

"My shoes! Jane what happened?" She didn't wait for an answer and finally got rid of Jane's hand and opened the door.

Her shoe shelf was a mess. She wondered briefly why she didn't notice this as she came looking for Jane earlier, but quickly decided it wasn't important. The shelf was knocked over and all of her shoes lay on the ground on a huge pile. She noticed that one pair lay nearer to the door and seemed to have been moved. On it she noticed something wet.

She turned around angrily and pushed at Jane's chest with both of her hands. "Dammit Jane! I told you to watch him! I specifically told you not to let him get near my shoes. And he even drooled on some of them!"

Jane held his hands up in a defending gesture and dropped the leash while doing so.

"I'm sorry! I noticed too late that he was gone and as I came looking, it was already like this. I swear it won't happen again."

"Watch him better the next time. I don't want to deal with it right now, so why don't you clean this mess up and I'll go sit on the couch and see what's on tonight. And get the drool from my shoes."

With that she turned around and was on her way to the living room. She sighed heavily when she saw that Sam was gnawing at another pair of her shoes. She picked him up and took the shoes out of his teeth. "Come on Sam, you don't chew on that. Let's go watch a movie." With that she took off and left Jane in the hallway to deal with the shoe mess.

Well, he thought, that went better than expected.

Jane put the shoe shelf back together and started putting the shoes back in. When he was about halfway finished, he decided that it would be boring to put each shoe next to the one it was supposed to go. He chuckled lightly and put each shoe in randomly. Some of the shoes got paired of in the same color and some were just put in the way he grabbed them off the floor.

As he was finished he examined the outcome.

His grin widened as he saw some ballet flats next to sturdy hiking boots and a flip flop next to a black high heel. He briefly wondered when she would wear a pair of those heels. Maybe he could make her wear them on one of their future dates.

Pleased with the new arrangement of her shoe shelf he went into the living room to look for his favorite agent and the small ball of fur. He found them cuddled together on the sofa. Sam was out like a light and Lisbon was flipping through the channels.

"So" Jane said and made Lisbon jump a little. "I'm not allowed to let him on the couch but when you do it, it's okay?" He raised his eyebrows and sat down next to her.

She smiled.

"That's right. It's my couch so I get to decide who can use it and when that somebody can use it. Did you clean up the mess in the hall?"

"Of course I did my dear. As good as new." Lisbon was a little confused by the huge amount of smiling Jane had done today but was too tired to think hard about it.

"Good. You want some ice-cream? I got some when I was at the store earlier."

Jane nodded at her and looked down at the sleeping Sam.

"Isn't he cute? I bet he was tired after the day he had. It was exhausting."

"Yeah, I'm exhausted too. Could you put him in the blanket in the corner while I get the ice-cream? I'm sure you don't want to share the couch tonight."

"That depends on who I would do the sharing with. Are you offering?" Jane wiggled his eyebrows at her and she tried to cover up her laugh with a snort. "In your dreams, Jane." With that she stood up and went to get the ice-cream.

Jane chuckled and put Sam down in the corner. "Indeed Teresa. That has happened once or twice" he murmured.

"Did you say something?" Lisbon shouted from the kitchen.

"No, I was just wishing Sam a good night" he quickly answered and sat back down on the couch.

Lisbon came back into the living room with the ice-cream and two spoons. She plopped down next to Jane, gave him a spoon and started eating. She put the ice-cream in the middle of their touching legs and looked back up at the TV.

"I zapped through the programs but there wasn't really anything good on. A documentation about penguins is the most exciting I could find. I hope you don't mind." she told him as they watched a few penguins sliding down the ice on their bellies.

"I don't mind. I actually enjoy watching animal documentations. They always manage to calm me down and take my thoughts away. I just didn't know you liked them?"

"Well you know, after a stressful day full of suspects, leads and paperwork", she shot him a dirty look at that "it calms me down too. Plus, I like animals. So yes, I quite enjoy watching them."

Jane smiled and nodded but didn't say anything. He quietly continued eating ice-cream and watched the screen.

Lisbon couldn't help but watch him. He looked really adorable with that messed up hair and the spoon in his mouth. She sometimes wished she could read his thoughts. Today would be a good day for that. He had confused her to no end. First the dog, then the thing in the kitchen, his constant smiling, the talking about moving on and the fact that he opened up to her. It was new but she liked it. She really wanted to help him find happiness again. Another yawn made its way out of her mouth and she decided that thinking about all the things that had happened today could wait until tomorrow, so she continued eating her ice-cream and just enjoyed the penguins on screen and Jane's warmth next to her.

As soon as the ice-cream was gone Jane put the empty carton on the coffee table and Lisbon put her feet under her and snuggled into the side of her couch. She really wanted to watch the documentation until the end but she was too tired and drifted off into sleep just a few minutes after she had changed her position.

Jane noticed the change of her breathing. He smiled at how cute she looked when she was asleep and turned off the TV so the sounds wouldn't wake her up. He debated shortly if he should wake her and make her go to bed but decided against it. She deserved her sleep and she looked pretty tired earlier. So he did the thing anyone in his position would do. He scooped her up bridal style and started climbing the stairs until he reached the top ans was met with two closed doors.

Fifty-fifty chance of getting the right one, he thought and went to the door on his left. He awkwardly opened the door with his elbow, trying not to move too much so Lisbon wouldn't wake up.

The door opened and Jane congratulated himself quietly on getting the right room on his first try.

There was a big queen-sized bed in the middle if the room and a big dresser next to the window. Jane decided to explore her room later and went over to the bed to lay her down on it. It was a little difficult with the covers but he managed to get her under them. He wanted to be the gentleman and leave her alone to go downstairs and try to sleep on the couch but that apparently wasn't what she wanted. Her fingers clutched Jane's shirt and wouldn't let go. Jane tried to pry her fingers away from his shirt but if anything, her grip got tighter.

Well that is a problem, he thought and tried one last time. Nothing.

Jane contemplated if he should just stay there or not. He could always tell her later that he had no choice. Her grip _was _rather tight.

Oh well, I made a decision earlier. Might as well risk it. I will face her anger in the morning after hopefully getting a good night of sleep.

With that, he shed his suit jacket and shoes and climbed over her. He lay down in the middle of the bed. They were now facing each other with Lisbon still gripping his shirt tightly. Jane smiled and snuggled a bit closer to her. With a quiet "Good night, Teresa" he shut his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Sorry for the loooong wait... I know that it is no excuse but I had a lot of exams in the past few weeks. The time I found, I must admit, I have been spending on reading an awesome book series a friend of mine recommended to me. Sorry again :P But don't worry, updates should pick up again now, since I'm back to work and have a lot of time to think about or even write this story. But Pssh don't tell my boss :D So thanks for all the reviews, you guys are awesome! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter :) (It was really hard getting them out of that bed I can tell you xD) _

**Chapter 7**

As soon as Lisbon slowly drifted out of her sleep, she knew something was different. She didn't wake up from the light shining through her window or the alarm clock, but from some kind of pressure around her stomach. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times as the sun shone directly into her eyes. Trying to shield her eyes with her right arm, she noticed that it was somehow trapped. The brunette's confusion grew even more and she decided it was time to know what was going on. She finally opened her eyes all the way and looked down her body.

What the... she thought as soon as a head of blonde curls came into view.

Jane was lying next to her in _her_ bed.

How did that happen?

One of his arms was thrown around her stomach and his head was next to her shoulder. He was snoring softly and looked peaceful. It was the first time that she saw Jane sleeping that comfortably.

Lisbon was still staring at him as he slowly began to move.

Crap! What should I do? Pretending to still be sleeping wouldn't work with him. He would see through me within a second. But if I continue to stare at him, he'll know that I was watching him. Damn, play it cool, Teresa, play it cool. Think of something sarcastic or mean. Yeah, if he asks what I was doing I will just tell him that I was contemplating different ways of punishment. The threatening the couch thing is getting old, I need something new. Hmm, coloring his hair? Hiding his three-piece-suits? Rearranging his tea? Mixing them together? Getting that rusty old car of his towed?

Before she could decide which idea was the best, Jane's movement brought her out of her thoughts.

Her whole body stiffened up as his hand began to move over her stomach. Under her shirt. Her breathing stopped as his hand went higher and higher until-

"Jane!"

Janes whole body jerked as he woke up. He looked around, trying to discern what woke him up so suddenly.

He was still sleepy and wondered why he slept so well last night. As soon as he became aware of his surroundings he stopped moving. He was in Lisbon's bed. With Lisbon. She was staring wide eyed down her body. Jane wondered what was so interesting but as he followed her gaze with his own, he noticed what kept her attention. His hand. Under her shirt. How did that happen?

He noticed how soft her skin was and couldn't help but move his fingers a bit. Lisbon took in a sharp breath as his fingers grazed her bra.

Jane stopped moving again. He enjoyed this position immensely and decided that he would just do nothing. Let her do the work. He respected her and didn't want to upset her but he wasn't touching her inappropriately (anymore) so he just let his hand stay where it was. His head fell down next to her shoulder again and led out a long breath.

What is he doing? Lisbon thought after two minutes of nothing.

Why isn't he moving? Or at least saying something? What am I supposed to do now?

"Umm, Jane?" she asked tentatively.

The only answer she got was a small 'mhh'. She took it as a sign that she got his attention and continued.

"Jane, what are you doing?"

"Resting."

Not what she wanted to hear.

"I meant, what is your hand doing?"

"Nothing, at the moment."

Calm down, Teresa, he's jut messing with you. Don't get angry. The day has just started, I really don't want to start the day by being pissed off. It would ruin my weekend. So, let's give it one more try.

"Ok Jane, what are you doing in my bed, besides sleeping, how did you get here, why did you decide to sleep here, why is your hand under my shirt and why the hell aren't you moving away?"

She had gotten louder and louder but still managed to keep it on a reasonable sound level.

Jane grinned into the pillow but still didn't move.

"That was a lot of questions my dear. I'm not sure I'm awake enough to remember all of those or answer them to your satisfaction. But if you want I can try. But I must tell you if you wait just a little bit longer, let's say half an hour, I'm sure I can tell you a much better story than the one in my head right now, 'cause I know you love a good story and who knows maybe you'll even-"

"Jane! Cut the crap. Answer the questions or get out of my house. Now!"

"Jeez, okay okay. What was the first question?"

Lisbon just glared at him. Which was hard because she had to look down and Jane's head was still nestled into the pillow and her shoulder.

"Right. So, if I remember correctly your first question was what I was doing in your bed besides sleeping. Well, there are a lot of things actually. There's breathing, thinking, watching you sleep, looking out the window, accidentally feeling you up, inspecting your room, counting sheep, watching the sun go up and stuff like that. Now for the second question, how did I get here. You know, that actually is quite a funny story, so-"

"Wait! What was that part in the middle there? _Watching_ me sleep? _Feeling_ me up?"

"Accidentally feeling you up. I blame my hands. Or your skin. It's really soft you know?"

Lisbon really didn't know what to say. What the hell has happened here? Jane's been behaving so strange since yesterday and she couldn't figure out what had changed. Well, the dog of course, but that couldn't have been all.

"Hey Lisbon, did you fall asleep again?"

She sighed and decided to just let him continue his explanation. She will think about all this stuff as soon as he was gone.

"No. Continue what you were saying."

"Where was I? Ah, I remember. Well, you were really tired yesterday and fell asleep on the couch. I know your day was no walk in the park. You were tired and I wanted to let you sleep. So being the gentleman that I am-" Lisbon rose one eyebrow at that. Jane ignored her. "I picked you up and carried you up here. And in a flash of brilliance I even found the correct door on my first try and put you on the bed. So now is where the funny part comes in. As I was trying to get you under the covers, there suddenly was a green bunny in your room. It came out of your closet and looked at me all strange until it began talking! Can you believe it? A talking bunny! And it was green! Anyway, so the bunny began talking and was saying stuff like 'don't touch the ground it's water!' and as I was trying to protect you and moved over to the bunny to throw him out, it suddenly walked back into the closet and disappeared. Before he disappeared he shouted 'Be careful in the bathroom. Don't step on the tiles on the floor, walk only on the lines! I warned you!'. So that bunny really creeped me out so I decided it was safer to get off the floor and just share the bed with you. I thought you wouldn't mind, because you always tell me stuff like 'I have the gun, I'm supposed to protect you'. I crawled into your bed next to you and lay awake the whole night watching your closet doors. Not a nice way to spent your night, I can tell you."

Jane stopped talking and lay still for a moment. When he didn't get a reaction after five whole minutes he was slightly worried. Maybe she is already planning how to best get rid of me...

"Umm, Lisbon? You still there?"

"What? Are you finished talking? You lost me after green bunny. I thought that if you had anything interesting or even remotely _true_ to say, you would probably do so after that small story of yours is finished. So, you ready to talk to me like an adult?"

Jane pouted at that. "Aww come on Lisbon! It was such a good story! Do you know how hard it is to come up with something like that on the spot? It really took some great thinking to do that. But if you want to be boring and hear the truth then I will gladly tell you what really happened."

Jane was still pouting but Lisbon ignored that.

"So, the part about me carrying you up here is actually true. So I tried to get you under the covers, and succeeded I might add, and as I was doing the honorable thing and tried to leave you alone to sleep on that lumpy old couch of yours-" Another glare. "I mean that super comfortable pillow heaven of yours. Do you want to hear the story or not? You are interrupting me a lot."

Lisbon sighed and closed her eyes. Why couldn't anything be easy for once?

"Get on with it Jane. We don't have the whole day."

"Actually we do, but I get it you impatient woman. I tried to leave you alone but you grabbed my shirt. I couldn't get your hand loose and I didn't want to wake you. So I decided to stay. I figured you wouldn't mind."

"How did you come up with that idea? Why would you think I wouldn't mind? We are colleagues Jane. I don't sleep with all or even any of my colleagues. I have standards."

"I didn't insinuate we were sleeping together. What is going on in your mind right now, my dear?"

Lisbon thought about her words and blushed as she realized what she had unintentionally suggested.

"Not what I meant, and you know it. Continue the story please I need my coffee. Hurry up."

"Okay okay, I already answered you next question about why I decided to sleep here. So the next question was about my hand. Well, it liked it there so it stayed. Not my fault, I was asleep. If you want to blame someone blame the hand. Same reason goes to the next question. I stayed here and haven't moved because I like it. You are warm. And soft. You smell good and your bed is comfortable. Who would want to leave a place like this?"

Lisbon felt like her head was going to explode. Too much input and no time to process it. Aww, I need some space. Not that I don't like this... sleeping arrangement, but I really have some serious thinking to do. I think a shower would be best right now.

Just as she was trying to tell Jane that cuddle time was over and they had to start the day, she heard a small bark from downstairs. Perfect timing, Sam, she thought and pointedly grabbed the arm that was still trapping her to the bed. She moved it from under her shirt and sat up. She looked at Jane and saw a disappointed look flash trough his eyes before his usual (usual for the last two days) grin took it's place on Jane's face.

"Your dog is calling for you. I am going to grab a quick shower and then we can start thinking about how to find Sam's family. Would you mind starting the coffee machine when you get downstairs?" After Jane nodded at her she smiled at him shortly and vanished into the bathroom across the hall.

That left Jane alone in her bed and with his thoughts. Not wanting to think things through right now, he decided to get up and take care of Sam and the coffee for now. They would end that talk sometime and if you would ask Jane it would be sooner rather than later.

Jane picked up his shoes and jacket from the floor where he left them yesterday and made his way down the stairs.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. Thanks for all the reviews and I'll try to update again soon. Enjoy and review :)_

**Chapter 8**

Jane happily moved down the stairs and went straight into the kitchen to start the coffee maker. He heated some water for himself and was just rummaging in Lisbon's cupboards for some tea, when a loud bark alerted him to the presence of their new furry friend.

"Sam! Did you have a good night? I hope you didn't make a mess while we were asleep."

Sam watched him curiously and Jane crouched down and petted the dog.

"So what do you want to do today? Go to the park? Lisbon said we have to find your family so I think it's best if we go to the place where I found you... Well more like you found me. Anyway, I have to tell you that operation tennis ball is working better than expected. Just be your normal charming self and I think this will work out."

Sam looked at him expectantly.

"I know, I know breakfast. Let's get you something, shall we?"

Jane went over to the bags of dog food Lisbon had gotten yesterday and put some of it into Sam's bowl. He took the water bowl and filled it with water from the tap and made his way back to Sam who had already finished half of the bowl of food.

"You seem to like it. So, what should I make for breakfast. Do you have an idea?"

Sam continued to eat and ignored Jane.

"You are right, I should look into the fridge first, who knows what I'll find in there."

Jane stood up from the crouched position he held while talking to Sam and walked over to Lisbon's fridge. He opened the door and found... nothing. Well, not nothing but other than a carton of milk and some strawberries which didn't look like they should be eaten anymore, the fridge was empty.

Well, so much for my idea of a nice breakfast... And I thought I had unhealthy eating habits. This woman doesn't have ANY food in her house. Maybe some cereal...

Jane moved over to the cabinets and began to open them randomly. He found coffee, coffee, and...

"Yes!" he shouted and grinned. Somewhere behind those mountains of coffee he found some cereal that looked as if it could still be eaten. Jane took the carton and looked it over. Still closed. The expiration date was still from this year, so it couldn't be that bad.

He opened the cereal and began to pour some into two bowls he had found while searching for food. Looked good to him. He moved back to the fridge and took the milk out. He opened it carefully and sniffed. Seemed okay. So he put it on the kitchen table and got two spoons. He stopped to listen for a moment and could still hear the shower running. He briefly wondered what she was doing so long but decided not to disturb her and let her have the time she wanted. She would have to spent the rest of the day in his presence so he gave her a bit of free time now.

Jane walked into the living room and decided that now was a good time to start snooping around a bit. He started with the pictures that were present on every available surface in the room. There were a lot of pictures of her brothers, some of the team and some of people he didn't know. Maybe extended family? Lisbon looked happy in every single one of them and smiled brightly. Before he could move on from the pictures and take a look at her music collection, he heard her come down the stairs. He quickly returned to the kitchen.

"Jane? Where are you?"

"In the kitchen. Come on, let's have breakfast. I'm sorry but I only found cereal. We really need to go grocery shopping later today. Otherwise we would starve tomorrow."

Lisbon narrowed her eyes. "We? I can't remember inviting you to stay another night. In fact I think I said something along the lines of us finding Sams family ASAP and then you leaving me alone."

"Meh. Patience Lisbon. You'll change your mind soon enough. Let's eat this stuff and go to the park. I'm in the mood for a walk. And I think Sam agrees with me."

Lisbon ignored him and put some milk into her bowl of cereal after sitting down at the table. Jane did the same and they continued to eat in silence. After they were done, Jane took they bowls to the sink and washed them quickly. Lisbon dried them quickly and finally decided to talk after they were done.

"So what do you think we should do first to find Sam's family? Do you really think we'll find them in the park? Where exactly did you find him anyway?"

"So many questions my dear. It was more Sam finding me than me finding him. I took a short nap on a bench in the park near the CBI. Let me tell you, it is a beautiful place for a short nap and the weather was excellent."

She gave him her 'get-on-with-the-story'-look. He hurriedly continued.

"As I was saying, I was taking a nap and after I woke up he was just sitting there. He sat there and watched me with those cute little puppy eyes, I couldn't ignore him. I sat up, petted him and asked him where his family was. He told me he didn't know so I started to take a look.."

"Wait! He told you? You asked him where his family was and he _told_ you he didn't know? Jane, you could at least try to make up a story that is reasonably believable. Why don't you just tell me the truth? That would be easier for both of us."

"But I am telling the truth. He looked at me with those expressive eyes and held his head kinda crooked and I just knew that he wanted to tell me that he didn't know. You know that I can read people really good, Teresa. Don't be so surprised."

Again that name. She really wondered why he called her that all of a sudden. Her short time in the shower didn't give her the answers she wanted. She didn't come up with anything useful. If she really couldn't figure it out she would have to ask him. She didn't really want to, and luckily now was not the time for that. She had an argument to finish.

"Exactly Jane! People! You can read people, not animals. I don't know why I even bother. Continue please."

It was not his intention to make her upset this early in the morning but he just told her the truth. It wasn't his fault that it was hard to believe.

"I looked around and didn't see anyone else in the park. I couldn't just leave him alone so I walked around a bit and looked for people. It was getting dark really fast and Sam here was just following me around while I searched for someone but there wasn't anyone around. I decided that I couldn't leave him alone for the night and took him with me. And then we went to see you."

Lisbon didn't quite believe him but decided to let it be.

"Okay. So it would be best if we just go to the park, look around and maybe ask some people if they know Sam."

"That's exactly what I wanted to do. Why don't we take a blanket and basket with us and make a picnic out of it? We could be there the whole day and I really like picnics. I guess we would have to buy some fruit or something first, because there is nothing to eat in this house. That reminds me. You always tell me to eat healthy and regularly and what do I find here? There's nothing except for coffee in this house. Shouldn't _you_ obey your rules before giving them to others?"

"I do eat Jane. But I spent so little time here, everything I buy goes to waste. So I don't bother and just buy the stuff I want to eat in that moment."

"And how exactly did you plan to survive this weekend? With coffee?"

"I _did_ plan to go grocery shopping yesterday, but _someone_ distracted me and I forgot. And may I remind you that there are stores that are open all the time? Even on weekends? I wouldn't have starved to death."

"Okay okay you win. So what do you say to the picnic?"

"Why not. Sounds like a good idea. I'll get the basket and blanket. Why don't you get Sam's things. I'll be right back."

Lisbon walked into the hall and opened a door to a room Jane hadn't had a chance to see yet. Curious, Jane followed her and took a look into the room. His face fell as he realized that it was just a closet of some kind. There was cleaning stuff and boxes and all the stuff you only need about once a year. Disappointed he left Lisbon alone and went to get Sam's things.

After getting the basket and blanket Lisbon went back into the kitchen where Jane was waiting for her.

"Jane put everything in the basket while I get my things and put on my shoes. We'll stop by a grocery store before we'll get to the park. Do you have anything you need?"

Jane nodded and Lisbon went upstairs to get a jacket.

Uh oh, shoes, Jane thought. It seemed funny yesterday but I'm not so sure anymore... I could put them back the way they were but I'm not sure that there is enough time.

He heard Lisbon as she came down the stairs.

Turning around to Sam to look for some help he found the dog was exploring the kitchen.

"You are a great help buddy. Really, thanks for the good ideas."

Jane took the basket with the blanket and Sam's things and went into the hall to wait for Lisbon. Maybe she wouldn't notice...

He found Lisbon standing in front of the shoe shelf with a shocked look on her face. And a small smile? No, couldn't be. That look quickly turned into anger as she heard him approaching.

"Jane! What the hell did you do? I told you to get rid of the mess and not make an even bigger one! Why are you doing this? Do you think this is funny? Let me tell you a secret: It is not!"

She angrily searched for the pair she wanted to wear today and put them on. The door of the shelf snapped shut and she turned around to glare at Jane.

"As soon as we get back from the park you are going to fix this! Every single one of them. If not..."

Jane looked at her with a mix of expectation and amusement. He dared to open his mouth.

"If not?"

That was the wrong thing to say. Lisbon shoved him to the side, took her keys and marched out of the house. She really wanted to slam the door right into his face, but... Who cares? There is no but. It was her house so she could do whatever she wanted. So she did. She slammed the door right into his face and was rewarded with a short look on his shocked face before the door was shut.

"Get your dog and the basket and get your stupid self out here! I'm driving! Now! With or without you!"

Jane came out not ten seconds later with Sam on his leash and the basket in one hand and his nose in his other hand.

"Was that really necessary, Lisbon? That really hurt!"

She jumped into the driver's side of the car and glared at him again. "No, you don't! No talking while in the car. If you do, I'll kick you and your pet out. Now get in!"

Jane decided that he had done enough for now and silently climbed into the car. He put the basket in the back seat and put Sam on his lap. He carefully glanced over at his angry boss and tried to see how angry she really was and if he could afford breaking her new rule. She didn't look that angry anymore but he couldn't be sure. Maybe he'll wait for a few minutes and let her cool down.

On the other side of the car Lisbon was thinking. She wasn't really angry and she had to admit that the joke with the shoes was a good one but she couldn't tolerate everything he came up with. If she let such small things go, who knows what he'll come up with next time. Still she wondered what he would have done if she had just stood there and laughed, like she wanted to do as soon as she saw what he had done. Some of the shoes looked really good together. The memory tried to make her smile but she fought against it. She would let him think she was really angry for now and see how long she could restrain herself before she burst out laughing. His look as she shut the door right in his face was extremely funny.

Lisbon drove to a small grocery store and left Jane in the car. She hurriedly bought some food and was back within ten minutes. She still didn't talk to Jane and they continued the short drive to the park in silence.

As soon as they arrived and parked the car, Jane had enough.

"Come on Lisbon, it wasn't that bad. I'll fix the mess as soon as we get back. I thought it was funny at the time. I didn't think it would upset you this much. I'm sorry."

Lisbon couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

Jane looked at her like she had lost her mind.

"Um, Lisbon? Are you okay?"

The confused and worried look on his face made her laugh even harder.

After she finally stopped and was able to talk again she smiled at him.

"Everything is fine. The look on your face when I shut that door in your face was priceless!"

"Sooo... you aren't mad at me? That was all a joke to pay me back?"

"Not so fast. That's not what I meant. I am angry at you but I have to admit that it was quite funny. You'll still have to fix it later. But for now, let's enjoy this day. Give Sam to me and get the basket."

Jane was still looking at her a little weird, but gave her Sam's leash and went to get the basket from the back seat.

"Ok, let's enjoy this day and look for Sam's family."

Lisbon nodded and they started to walk. It was a sunny Saturday morning and a lot of people spent their time in the beautiful park. There were a lot of people who walked their dogs, some joggers, some families with children and some who were just enjoying the nature. Huge trees lined the paved alleys which led the way through the park. Every once in a while some benches sat under these trees which spent shadow for the people sitting there. A lot of birds were chirping and flying around and some squirrels were jumping from tree to tree.

After about 10 minutes of walking in silence, Jane suddenly grabbed Lisbon's arm and pulled her behind a tree.

"Jane, what are you doing?" Jane only pointed his arm in the direction of a small fountain.

"Look Lisbon, it's Cho!"

Lisbon squinted her eyes and tried to make out the face of the person standing by the fountain. It really was Cho. He was sitting on the edge of the fountain and reading a book.

"Yes, it's Cho. So? Why are we hiding? Let's go over there and say hi."

Lisbon tried to stand up but Jane didn't let her. Sam was already pulling the leash and wanted to continue the walk.

"No Lisbon. Do you know what he's doing here?"

"No. Let's go to him and ask him. Then you'll know."

"And do you really think he would tell us the truth?"

"Yes? Why wouldn't he?"

"He's Cho. What do you know about his private life? I guess it's not a lot. Aren't you curious what he's doing in his free time?"

"No. It's his personal life. He wouldn't want us to snoop around. I wouldn't like it either."

"But I'm snooping around in your life since day one."

"Believe me, I only allow it to save me the argument. And if I let you see something here and there you won't look so hard for something I really want to keep secret."

Jane looked at her with interest.

"So you are hiding some things from me? Thanks for the info Lisbon. You don't believe that I'll let that one go, do you? You know that I am trying to find out your secrets now?"

"Of course I do. I am counting on it."

Jane was confused and told her so. Lisbon just smiled.

He started to talk again. "Anyway, I really want to know what he's doing in his free time. Let's just watch him for a little while. It won't hurt anyone."

Lisbon sighed. She felt that it was not right to watch and follow Cho like this, but she was curious.

"Okay Jane, but not for long. Let's see what he's doing here for a few minutes and if he's just sitting there and reading his book, we'll go over there, say hi, and continue our walk."

"Yes! You won't be disappointed, I promise."

Lisbon rolled her eyes and both of them turned their heads to watch Cho.


End file.
